Contact and Conflict

Much of American culture and history comes from society’s trust in the media. We trust TV, celebrities, ads and magazines as credible sources of important information. Rarely do we question the validity of the key messages they are delivering. One industry that America relies upon for positive influence and education of our youth is Disney. Certain Disney stories are taken as factual accounts of important American historical events. Thanks to Disney, most Americans are familiar with the story of Pocahontas. This heroic Native American girl is credited with going against her Native American tribe and saving the life of Captain John Smith. It is only after reading “Native Americans: Contact and Conflict” that I began to question my knowledge acquired through Disney films and stories.
For starters, I never knew Pocahontas was not the young Indian girl’s name. I was most intrigued by the author’s note, “Smith’s salvation was purely ceremonial, an act intended to bring him and his powerful English companions into reciprocal relations with the Chesapeake Bay Natives” (437). I interpreted this description as a Native American attempt to seek peace, friendship and harmony with the arrival of their new English visitors. Rather than taking the time to consider being friends with the Indians, who were really original inhabitants of North America, Europeans quickly jumped to hateful conclusions, building violent boundaries with the Native Americans. Centuries of hate between “white people” and Native Americans have existed from this initial historical act or cultural misinterpretation by Europeans. History possibly could have been less gory or hostile.
This cultural misinterpretation serves as a reminder for the importance of studying other cultures. Instead of assuming a level of superiority, Europeans should have taken into consideration the views, opinions and traditions of the Native Americans. The Indians were forced to alter their peaceful approach to the Europeans due to lack of English understanding and relentless demand for their land. It is only through reading the literature of other cultures that we can come to a deeper understanding of their values, motives and reasons for their actions. As a hybrid culture, America consists of numerous diverse groups of people. In order to cooperatively interact and live, we must understand each others’ story. Mutual respect is a product of understanding.
The conflict that resulted from the interaction between the Native Americans and Europeans has lent the impression that the Indians were drastically different from “white people.” However, it’s interesting to see the similarities between these conflicting groups. In his “Speech at Detroit,” Pontiac focuses on different aspects of the “Great Spirit” or “Master of Life” (439). This higher being closely parallels aspects found in European Christianity. For example, the “Great Spirit” says, “I am the maker of Heaven and Earth.” This exact phrase is found in several Christian creeds as well. The spirit also outlines morals and values similar to those of Christianity, such as the prohibition to marry more than one wife. Finally, these rules are recorded in a permanent manner in order for them to be perpetuated throughout time, which parallels the recording of the Ten Commandments on the stone tablets.
Instead of declaring war against one another, maybe the Native Americans and Europeans could have focused on their similarities and the possibility of peace.